To understand how Fossil Ridge made its way to the Denver Coliseum for Friday’s Class 5A Final Four, take a look back at the SaberCats’ gut-check in December.
On Dec. 10, the SaberCats beat Chaparral, 67-63, proving their mettle against their Friday opponent. On the following day Fossil Ridge suffered its lone loss, 81-68, to top-seeded ThunderRidge, who looms on the other side of the bracket.
Since that loss, Fossil Ridge (25-1) has reeled off a Class 5A-best 20-game win streak. It cruised to the Front Range League title before blasting its way through three playoff games by a 23.6-point average margin of victory.
“We knew we were on the right track after that weekend,” Fossil Ridge coach Matt Johannsen said. “We played well in the first half against ThunderRidge, even though we didn’t start the game well. We were up one point at half then had a bad third quarter where we only scored five points. That came down to defense and shot selection, things we revisited quite a bit since then.”
The No. 2 SaberCats are powered by senior point guard Brock Mishak and 6-foot-7 junior forward Nick Randall. Mishak, a West Texas A&M commit and nominee for Gatorade Player of the Year, is averaging 20.2 points while Randall is putting up 16.9 points and 8.2 rebounds.
Fossil Ridge’s firepower is opposite that of No. 3 Chaparral’s, which erased an 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Eaglecrest in last week’s Great 8. The Wolverines (21-4) are led by the senior tandem of point guard Luke Williams (16.7 points per game) and 6-foot-9 forward Joel Speckman, who is averaging 15.4 points and 11 rebounds.
“It’s going to be a dogfight,” Johannsen said. “They’re a tough team to guard. We’ve got to make sure we’re on every detail and we’re playing defense the right way, because we’ve got to. We’re not oversized, so we make up for that by jumping to the ball, getting good ball pressure, blocking out (on rebounds). That’s what we hang our hat on.”
Johannsen, 53, is in his 18th year as the Fossil Ridge boss and is the program’s founding head coach. The SaberCats are playing in their second Final Four after losing to Denver East in the title game in 2014. The Angels take on ThunderRidge in the other semifinal matchup.
A Fort Collins graduate who played at Eastern Wyoming College and Ottawa University in Kansas, Johannsen got his coaching start at his alma mater. Beginning in 1992, he spent eight years as a Fort Collins assistant coach before becoming the program’s head coach for four years; his first season at Fossil Ridge was 2005.
Johannsen said his ability to establish Fossil Ridge as a perennial Front Range League power is rooted in the program’s relationships.
“We do a lot of team-building stuff in the offseason and emphasize that throughout the year, too,” he said. “If we enjoy being around each other, we play harder for each other. And ultimately, this program is about a lot more than what we do on the court.”
Friday’s tipoff at the Denver Coliseum is at 8:30 p.m., with the Denver East-ThunderRidge game preceding at 7 p.m. The Class 5A boys championship is Saturday at 7 p.m.
